A personal story about weight loss and sleep. When on a personal journey, identifying a reward for reaching and maintaining your goal can make completing that goal that much sweeter. Darren Dezutter experienced this firsthand as he set out to lose weight and transform his life, in turn transforming his sleep.

Darren Dezutter’s Sleep Number 360^® smart bed isn’t just a place to rest—it’s also a symbol of his personal journey losing a large amount of weight.

A year and a half ago, Darren’s life was different. He was different, physically: 170 pounds heavier than he is today. During a physical and a conversation with his doctor, he made the decision to pursue weight-loss surgery. Actually, it was more than that: there was a whole process leading up to the procedure. “It’s a lot of work that you have to do, including taking classes,” Darren says.

Weight Loss and Sleep

One of the topics covered in his weight-loss surgery classes was goal-setting, and Darren started to think about what kind of reward to set for himself. One of his classmates mentioned getting a new bed, in part out of pure necessity.

“After a while, the smaller you get, the less comfortable your mattress gets, because it’s pretty broken in from the old you,” Darren says. “As I went further along in my own journey, that’s exactly what happened.” So, he set his own goal: the new Darren, he decided, would have a new bed—a Sleep Number bed.

Darren had his surgery in May 2017. “Everything changed after that,” he says. “I had to change the way I ate, and the more I lost, the better I felt. I exercised—it all fell into place.” By July 2018, he had hit his goal and lost 170 pounds.

Life After Surgery- Is a Sleep Number Bed Worth It?

About two months ago, Darren got his new Sleep Number bed. “I love it,” he says. “The thing I like the most is that it’s integrated with my smart phone, and it integrates with Apple HealthKit. Because one of the things that I do now, post-surgery, is track what I eat, how much I drink, how much I exercise. I’m in the pool about three times a week, swim for an hour, and knock out a couple of miles; and I track all that. With the app, I can also track my sleep and my SleepIQ^® score and just keep track of that.”

MORE ENERGY FOR OTHER GOALS

When he’s not sleeping, one of Darren’s favorite things to do is to travel. He wants to see all fifty states (he’s currently at twenty-four) and all seven continents (he’s seen four so far). He got the travel bug as a study-abroad student, and it stuck. It’s gotten easier, he says, “now that there’s less of me. I have more energy to get out and see things.” Last year, he went to Japan; then, it was a trip around the National Parks in the western USA. Up next: a journey to Italy.

If You Could Sleep Anywhere in the World

If Dan could sleep anywhere in the world, it would be in one of those ice hotels in the far north.

What Was Your SleepIQ Score Last Night?

Dan’s SleepIQ^® score last night was 83. It’s usually in the 80s, with a few 90s mixed in there. His lowest so far this month was 71. (scale of 0-100 with 100 being a perfect score)

What is Your Sleep Number^® Setting on Your Bed?

His Sleep Number setting is anywhere between 50 and 60. It depends on how he’s feeling and how hard he worked out at the gym!

Like diet and exercise, quality sleep is essential for optimal health and performance. Because everyone’s sleep needs are different, Sleep Number 360^® smart beds, with SleepIQ^® technology inside, sense your movements and automatically adjust firmness, comfort and support to keep you both sleeping comfortably. Find your Sleep Number^® setting for your best possible night’s sleep.